Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Kevin Hart might be
the hardest working man in Hollywood.
Just last year, he starred in a trio of feature films: Ride Along, About Last
Night and Think like a Man Too, and enjoyed supporting roles in Top Five and
School Dance, too.

Meanwhile, he has his
hit TV show, Real Husbands of Hollywood, for which he won the NAACP Image Award
in the Best Actor in a Comedy Series Award. In 2014, the NAACP also named Kevin
the Entertainer of the Year.

The irrepressible
comedian shows no sign of letting up, between presently releasing The Wedding
Ringer, and following that up with Get Hard in March. And he’s already wrapped work
on Ride Along 2, and has The Secret Life of Pets, Central Intelligence and
Captain Underpants in production.

However, Kevin did make
time in his hectic to get engaged to his fiancée, model Eniko Parrish. Here, he
talks about his new movie, The Wedding Ringer, a comedy co-starring Josh Gad
and Kelly Cuoco-Sweeting.

Kam
Williams: Hi Kevin, thanks for the interview.
How’re you doing?

Kevin Hart:
I’m great, Kam.

KW:
What interested you in The Wedding Ringer?

KH:
It was the great script. I got it about five or six months
before we started shooting. And it had been sitting around for quite some time.
You’re talking eight to ten years.

KW:
Wow! What gave you the confidence to pull the trigger?

KH:
I thought it would be a good vehicle for me, and would show
me in a different light. It’s a film where I could display some versatility. That’s
why I said I wanted to do it. It was different from any movie I’d ever done
before.

KW:
Did you worry that the premise was so farfetched that it
might be hard to pull off?

KH:
No, because it was grounded. Reading the script, as crazy
and unbelievable as the premise was, the characters were actually grounded. The
road to friendship between Jimmy [played by Kevin] and Doug [played by Josh
Gad] was what I thought was really unique about the picture. It made it so much
more than just a movie about a wedding. It’s really about a guy who told a lie,
and his lie spirals out of control to the point that he hires somebody to kind
of make that lie a reality. And along those lines, the two of them actually end
up liking each and realizing that their bond was necessary, because it’s
something that people need. These are two people who avoided friendship for so
long because they thought they didn’t need it. But then they realize, “Damn!
This is a void that needs to be filled.” And following through with that is
what this movie is ultimately about.

KW:
How would you summarize the message you want people to take
away from The Wedding Ringer?

KH:
That friendship is important, regardless of who you are, how
tough you are, or how much of a loner you might be. The thought of not having
companionship is not a good thing. It’s something that we, as humans, need. And
I feel that once you get a dose of it, and it’s genuine, it’s something you
want for a long time.

KW:
Did you ever assume a fake personality or crash a wedding in
real life?

KH:
[Chuckles] Fortunately, no. The good thing about me is I
haven’t had to fake an identity. Have I lied and done some stuff that I’m not
proud of? Of course. But I’ve never had to be someone else, which is a good
thing. When that day comes, I’ll know I’m doing something wrong.

KW:
Did being surrounded by a lot of seasoned comedians like
Josh, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Jenifer Lewis, Affion Crockett and Cloris Leachman
take any pressure of your having to carry the load in terms of making people
laugh.

KH:
Oh, yes. Of course! We had an amazing cast. The actors and
actresses in the film brought so much to the table that it wasn’t about me
being funny all the time. There were moments when I could sit back and let
other people drive, which was refreshing. In the past, I’ve often been
responsible for the humor, and had to generate those funny moments by myself.
But, in this case, we could have pretty much handed that ball to anybody.

KW:
Between making five movies last year and doing Real Husbands
of Hollywood, you’re the busiest brother in showbiz. And you have Get Hard with
Will Ferrell coming out a couple months after The Wedding Ringer. How do you
keep up the pace?

KH:
I’m focused. I have goals I’m trying to accomplish, and the
best way to accomplish those goals is to work hard, really, really keep my eyes
on the prize, and understand what’s at stake. And now that I see what the
possibilities are, it just makes me grind and work harder.

KW:
Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

KH:
Yeah, was I hand model? [Chuckles] The answer is “no,” but I
wish someone would ask me that.

KW:
Was there a meaningful spiritual component to your
childhood?

KH:
Yeah, my mom was very religious, heavily into church, and she
kept me into church as a child. I’m not overly religious, but I am a person who
believes in God. I understand that there’s a higher being watching over me, and
that I’m blessed. So, I make sure to count my blessings and to say “thank you”
as often as I can.

KW:
The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest
childhood memory?

KH:
My earliest childhood memory? That’s a great question.
Probably trying to dress up like Michael Jackson when I was about three
years-old.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what
do you see?

KH:
I see a good person, an all-around good individual who was
raised well, who understands life, and who is trying to maximize the
possibilities of what he can get out of it. I also see a good father and a good
husband-to be. I could go on and on since I see a lot of good things in myself.
[Chuckles]

KW: Congratulations on the
engagement, Kevin!

KH:
Thanks, Kam.

KW:
The Melissa Harris-Perry question:How
did your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?

KH:
You learn from it. It makes you a better person. It makes
you stronger, even though it wasn’t a positive experience. You understand and
you go, “Okay, this is something I should or shouldn’t do.” At the end of the
day, that’s the beauty of life. A negative can be a positive, depending on the
type of person you are, and how you look at things.

KW:
The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at
home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?

KH:
With me, there is no difference. What you see is what you
get. The only difference is that I cut out all Hollywood at home. I’m about my kids, and about
spending time with them when I’m home. Nothing comes in between. It’s solely
about them and for them, 110%.

KW:
The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one would
you choose?

KH:
Oh my goodness! To be in three places at once.

KW:
The Judyth Piazza question: Do you believe there’s one key
quality all successful people share?

KH:
No. I think successful people have a variety of personality
traits. But one trait they might share is that they got to where they are by
working hard. That’s something I know for sure that I do. With that being said,
I don’t take a good work ethic for granted, and I don’t overlook it, and I’m
quite sure otherse in my position don’t either.

KW: What advice do you have for
anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

KH:
That hard work and dedication pays off. It’s very easy to
say you want to get somewhere, and to speak those words. But it’s not so easy
to appreciate the effort it takes to get where you want to go. Hard work pays
off.

KW:
The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?

KH:
As a great father, as a guy who was dedicated to his craft,
and as a great example and role model to young kids, to show them that you can
achieve whatever you put your mind to.

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The Sly Fox Film Reviews

KamWilliams.com

The Sly Fox Film Reviews publishes the content of film critic Kam Williams. Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2008, Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition to a BA in Black Studies from Cornell, he has an MA in English from Brown, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son.